Severing device for wire and the like



July 16, 1957 w. KIRBY SEVERING DEVICE FOR WIRE AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 4, 1955 2,799,335 SEVERING DEVICE FOR WIRE AND THE LIKE Wilfred Kirby, London, England, assignor to Vickers- Armstrongs (Engineers) Limited, London, England, a British company Application October 4, 1955, Serial No. 538,462

Claims priority, application Great Britain September 16, 1955 7 Claims. (Cl. 164-41) This invention relates to a severing device for wire and the like, of the kind consisting of an anvil and a co-operating relatively movable cutting knife, and is concerned with the provision of a generally improved device of this nature which is capable of accurate and efficient operation over long periods with minimum attention.

According to the invention there is provided a severing device of the kind specified for wire and the like, wherein the cutting knife is provided peripherally on a cup-shaped cutter which is arranged to embrace the anvil when said knife and anvil are moved relatively on a cutting stroke.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be better carried into effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a wire severing device according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view along line II-II of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a sectional plan along the line IIIIII of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, in Figure 1 an actuating cam 1 for the severing device is mounted on a driven shaft 2 so that the cam 1 rotates with the shaft 2. A roller 3, which co-operates with the cam 1, rides on a pin 4 secured to the back of a plunger 5 near the upper end of the latter. This plunger 5 is slidably mounted in an upright guideway 6 which may form part of a machine structure. The lower end 5a of the plunger 5, remote from the pin 4, bears against the longer arm 7:: of an L-shaped knife carrier 7. This carrier 7 is pivotally supported on an anvil block 8 by means of a hinge pin 9 which extends between rear cheeks 8a of the block, and through the shorter arm 7b of the carrier 7, the longer carrier arm 7a being located above the block 8 and beneath the plunger 5. Secured beneath the outer end of the longer carrier arm 7a is an inverted cup-shaped cutter 10 having a cutting edge 10a formed at least partially around the rim thereof, the remaining portion of the rim being cut back at 10b in relation to the cutting edge. For purposes of attachment of the cutter, the carrier arm 7a is provided with a countersunk aperture 11 to receive a screw 11a which screws into a concentric tapped aperture in the top of the cutter 10. A coil spring 12 is seated in a cylindrical recess in the block 8 beneath the carrier arm 7a and bears upwardly on the arm 7a.

Secured to the front part 8b of the anvil block is an anvil 13. The anvil 13 is conveniently of rectangular cross-section and is retained in a channel in the front face of the block part 8b by means of a retaining plate 14 which is secured to the block part 8b by a screw 15. The anvil 13 is located approximately centrally beneath the cutter 10 with the front or operative face thereof projecting slightly to make rubbing contact, from the inside of the cutter, with the cutter blade part 10a when the cutter is lowered over anvil 13, block part 8b and plate 14. To permit such lowering movement of the cutter, the block is appropriately recessed at 16.

. United States Patent 1C 2,799,335 Patented July 16, 1957 A hole 17 is provided through the anvil 13 for the passage of wire 18 to be severed by the device, the severing point being located at the lip of the hole 17 in the projecting front face of anvil 13. The provision of the cutaway part 10b around the cutter periphery permits the lowering of the cutter on a working stroke without fouling wire threaded through the anvil hole 17.

'In use the cam 1 is set to press downwardly on the roller 3 when a predetermined length of wire 18 has been projected through the bore 17 in the anvil 13. This pressure on the roller 3 causes the plunger 5 to move downwardly in its slideway 6 and thereby depress carrier arm 7a about its pivot pin 9 and against the action of spring 12. Downward movement of carrier arm 7a in turn depress-es cutter 10 over the anvil 13 so that the projecting wire end is cut off cleanly at the tip of hole 17 as aforesaid. Once the cutting operation has been effected and the cam 1 moved to a position in which the roller 3 is free to rise, the spring 12 reasserts itself to return the cutter and carrier to the raised position and also to lift the plunger in its slideway to maintain the roller in contact with the cam.

The provision of a cylindrical wall carrying the cutting edge as obtained with the cup-shaped cutter enables the punishing action of a cutting operation to be resisted much more efficiently and enables the cutter to be mounted in an extremely rigid manner with little possibility of distortion. Furthermore, the provision of a secure connection between cutter and carrier is greatly facilitated, the cutter occupying a minimum space which is wholly in the direction of the uncut wire.

It will be appreciated that the manner of mounting and actuation of the knife may be varied considerably within the scope of the invention and according to the particular use to which the severing device is to be applied. Also the anvil could be arranged to move whilst the knife remains stationary, or both parts could be moved.

I claim:

1. A wire severing device comprising an anvil block, an anvil mounted on said block having a hole therethrough from a rear to a front operative face for the passage of wire to be severed, a spring-influenced cutter carrier pivoted on said block and having a part overhanging said anvil, an inverted cup-shaped cutter attached to said overhanging carrier part over the anvil, a peripheral cutting edge on said cutter, and means for depressing said carrier against its spring influence to cause the cutting edge of the cutter to rub over the portion of said operative anvil face through which the hole extends.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the carrier includes a downwardly-extending part spaced from the cutter, and a pivot pin extending through the downwardly-extending part and into the anvil block at about the level of the anvil for pivoting the carrier to the anvil block.

3. A wire severing device comprising .an anvil block, an anvil mounted on said block having a hole therethrough from a rear to a front operative face for the passage of the wire to be severed, a spring-influenced cutter carrier pivoted on said block and having a part overhanging said anvil, an inverted cup-shaped cutter attached to said overhanging carrier part over the anvil, a peripheral cutting edge on said cutter extending around the front operative face of the anvil in rubbing contact therewith, and means for depressing said carrier against its spring influence to cause the cutting edge of the cutter to rub over the portion of said operative anvil face through which the hole extends, the portion of the cutter adjacent the rear face of the anvil at the position of the hole being above the hole for the wire when the cutter is depressed.

4. in a severing device for severing wire and the like into lengths, including an anvil and a cup-shaped cutter having a peripheral cutting knife and adapted to embrace the anvil when the cutter and anvil are moved relatively on a cutting stroke, the improvement in which the knife has an arcuate cutting edge and the anvil includes an operative face along which the arcuate cutting edge of the knife makes rubbing contact during a cutting stroke, said anvil having a hole extending therethrough for the passage of the wire to be severed, one end of the hole opening through the operative face of the anvil and providing a cutting lip cooperating with the cutting edge of the knife during a cutting stroke.

5. A severing device as claimed in claim 4, including a carrier on which the cup-shaped cutter is mounted, and means concentrically engaging the cup-shaped cutter for securing the cutter to the carrier.

6. A severing device as claimed in claim 4, including a carrier on which the cup-shaped cutter is mounted, an anvil block on which the anvil is mounted, said carrier being pivoted to the anvil block on an axis parallel to the hole through the anvil block.

7. In a severing device for severing wire and the like into lengths including an anvil and a cup-shaped cutter having a peripheral cutting knife and adapted to embrace the anvil when the cutter and anvil are moved relatively on a cutting stroke, the improvement in which the anvil includes an operative face and the knife has a cutting edge extending in an are around the operative face of the anvil and along whichthe cutting edge makes rubbing contact during a wire-cutting stroke, said anvil having a hole extending therethrough for the passage of the wire to be severed, one end of the hole opening through the operative face of the anvil to present the wire in position to be severed by the knife and providing a cutting lip cooperating with the cutting edge of the knife during a Wire-cutting stroke.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 347,234 Fogleson Aug. 10, 1886 349,388 Fowler Sept. 21, 1886 391,586 Cossler Oct. 23, 1888 533,527 Ca-rmody Feb. 5, 1895 537,461 Hewlett Apr. 16, 1895 1,677,684 Parsons July 17, 1928 2,314,184 Zeruneith Mar. 16, 1943 

